Chinese Media Dissects Defeat of Mayoral Candidate John Liu

City Comptroller John Liu might be out of the mayoral election after his loss in last Tuesday’s primary but the Chinese community is not yet ready for a post-Liu era. He remains in the headlines of the Chinese language newspapers, at least for now.

All Chinese newspapers focused on Liu’s thwarted dream for mayor and the impact on the community. Some stories tried to offer reasons for the loss and others listed the options he might still have to remain in politics. Liu himself held a September 12 press conference for the Chinese and Korean media at his campaign office in Chinatown to talk about these issues. The session was reported by Rong Xiaoqing in Sing Tao Daily the following day:

The screens of the seven computers were all black. The few telephones were all quiet. Posters with the name John Liu and his giant pictures were all piled up against the wall by the door side. The microwave and coffee machine which had been chirping the entire summer to provide energy to the volunteers who worked here from dawn to dusk, now have nothing to do. Liu, sitting in front of the table, was focusing on eating some shrimp dumplings. Behind him on the glass wall, the word “win” someone had written with a blue ballpoint pen is still bold and clear.

Seven Mott Street, Liu’s campaign office, opened on June 18 and will be officially closed on September 30. More than 100 years ago, Sun Yat-sen, the founding father of the Republic of China, gave a speech at this location. Yesterday, when Liu held a press conference here, the same message he sent out can be summed up in a famous quote of Sun: “The revolution has not yet succeeded. Comrades, you must carry on.”

About Rong Xiaoqing

Rong Xiaoqing is a reporter for the Chinese language newspaper Sing Tao Daily New York, covering a variety of topics from health, immigration, politics, business and social services. She also contributes to some English and Chinese language publications in the U.S. and in Asia.